Album Review: Buster Shuffle - “Go Steady”


Buster Shuffle are one of those bands who really should be better known than they are. Now well into their second decade, their upbeat and very British take on ska music has seen them labelled as the 21st century answer to Madness which is high praise indeed but if you've ever caught the pure rush of one of their live gigs or heard albums such as Our Night Out and their excellent most recent effort I'll Take What I Want then you'll know that it's definitely not undeserved.

Similar to its predecessor, Go Steady definitely has more of a political leaning to it than Buster Shuffle's earlier releases with the likes of Deadline and former single New Badge For My Uniform being impassioned protests against the tedium of nine-to-five minimum wage culture. However, the key is that they've continued their long standing tradition of packing these angry rants with supreme earworm tunes with the bouncy title track and The Hood showing a definite ear for melody. There's the expected sly sense of humour never too far from the surface as well such as the dangers of a night out in the local gone wrong that is Puke In The Duke and the chirpy Wipe Your Nose. Elsewhere, the summertime chirpiness of Head To Toes and the fast-paced Wipe Your Nose and Sucker Punch Blues show a band sounding impressively tight throughout. 

Essentially, this is Buster Shuffle doing exactly what they do best - supremely tuneful and singalongable ska designed for skanking along in venues to with the odd more thought provoking moment to keep you on your toes throughout. It's about time this band got the recognition that they've long deserved so let's all get out there and help them. Go out, give it a listen and let a bit of London sunshine into your life.

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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